Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits a government affairs hall at Liangjiang New Area in southwest China's Chongqing municipality, Aug 21, 2020. (PANG XINGLEI / XINHUA)

Premier Li Keqiang has called for unrelenting efforts to protect mar­ket players and create jobs while coping with uncertain factors dur­ing the course of development, say­ing that China’s economy can attain positive growth this year. 

In remarks delivered during an inspection trip to Chongqing on Thursday and Friday, the premier recognized the positive outcomes in macroeconomic regulation in recent months, especially in the pri­oritized areas of protecting jobs and market players, ensuring people’s livelihoods and the security of grain and energy supply, and guarantee­ing the stability of industry and sup­ ply chains and the functioning of grassroots government bodies. 

Premier Li Keqiang highlighted the need for fur­ther widening market access and stimulating the vitality of market players

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China has set the goal of creat­ing more than 9 million urban jobs this year and ensuring the survival of over 100 million mar­ket players amid the fallout from the COVID-­19 pandemic. 

A number of economic indica­tors in July, including exports, fac­tory output and sales of commercial goods, have all point­ed to a more sustainable economic recovery in China. 

China’s exports increased 7.2 percent in July from a year earlier, while the manufacturing purchas­ing managers index rose to a four­ month high of 51.1, beating expectations and landing in expansion territory for a fifth con­secutive month. 

During the visit, Li spoke with over a dozen executives of smaller firms at the administrative hall in the Liangjiang New Area. 

He highlighted the need for fur­ther widening market access and stimulating the vitality of market players. 

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Li lauded the online administra­tive services offered by local authorities, saying that the gov­ernment, in its efforts to stream­ line administration and bolster compliance oversight and servi­ces, is aiming to provide the people with a pleasant experience and enough sense of gain as they access administrative services. 

The premier also visited busi­nesses, including the outsourcing service provider ZBJ.com, a subsid­iary of BOE Technology Group, and Chongqing Changan Automobile. 

He called upon western regions to further give play to their strengths and proactively under­ take the transfer of industries from eastern areas so as to move further up industry chains. 

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn